Title: Barely Existing
Author: Cindy Ryan
catagory: angst, Xover
pairings: Jack/Sam, Grissom/Sara
Summary: After 'Play with fire' Sara vanishes, Grissom calls in a favor
Notes: See part one. Thanks for the feedback. :)
29 hours missing
(5 am)
Sam smiled gratefully as Jack pressed a mug of cappuccino into her left hand.
"Thanks."
"Anytime."Jack replied as he stood next to her both of them leaning against the far wall of the interrogation room.
Danny,Vivian and Martin were huddled around the table their conversation drifting back to them in snatches.
"I took the pain pills an hour ago."
Jack's gaze didn't move from the whiteboard. "I didn't say anything."
"But you were going to."
In his minds eye Jack could still see Sam laid out on the floor of that bookstore bleeding heavily from the gunshot to her leg. Her face white as a sheet.
"I just don't want you to push yourself too hard."Jack stated softly. "You don't have to prove anything to me or the others. If you need to go back to the hotel and rest just say so."
Sam smiled at his concern and reached out to gently touch his right shoulder. "I'm alright, Jack. I just want us to not lose this one. I don't want to have to tell these people that Sara's not coming home."
Jack sighed. "Neither do I. But with Danny and Viv coming up empty handed with the canvas it's not looking very good."
Sam met his gaze. "We've found people with much less to go on."
Jack smiled briefly. "I keep telling myself that."
"I'm going to check the police blotter."Sam stated as she moved toward her laptop. "Maybe we'll find something in the crime stats of Sara's neighborhood."
"Good idea."Jack acknowledged as he followed her toward the table."Martin, what did the final report say on Sidle's computer?"
********
30 hours missing
(6:30 am)
It was an exhausted emotionally drained group that gathered in the breakroom.
Catherine had called them there because she was worried about the team's mental state.
Especially Nick and Grissom.
They sat down around the small round table. A box of doughnuts was in the center but nobody moved to grab one. No one had an appetite.
Nick rested his elbows on the table's surface and rubbed his face with his hands struggling to stay awake. He was barely holding it together and he knew the others could see it but he didn't know what else to do.
Catherine cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention. "I know some of you may hate me for this but I went and talked to Covallo."
Grissom's head jerked up. His eyes red rimmed and weary. "About what?"
Catherine leaned her hands against the table. "About putting everyone on this team on emergency leave excluding Greg who's already on medical leave."
Despite his exhaustion Nick flew to his feet. "Leave? Catherine we don't need it. We need to be out there doing something for Sara not running around here processing crime scenes that we don't have the manpower for."
Catherine met his gaze. "Due to the circumstances Covallo approved the leave. At least until Sara is found. We're all exhausted. We won't be doing any good if we process the evidence wrong."
"You could've discussed this with us."Warrick said quietly.
"Would you have listened to me?"Catherine asked her voice strained as she looked pointedly at Grissom. "Any of you? I don't like to be idle any more than the rest of you but I know I can't continue to function like this. Sara wouldn't want us to run ourselves into the ground."
"Catherine's right."Grissom stated his voice barely above a whisper. "I want...."
Everyone looked at Grissom to see why he had trailed off then they saw the camera crew in the doorway. A male reporter in his late twenties with short red hair and green eyes came barreling toward them.
"How the hell did he get past security?"Nick yelled as everyone rose to their feet.
"How does it feel to have one of your own be a victim to a violent crime?"
Grissom walked toward the reporter his face a mask. "How does it feel? You want to know how it feels?"
The reporter nodded eagerly as his gaze landed on Grissom's name tag. "You're Grissom lead criminalist.....is it true....."
Before anyone could react Nick threw himself at the reporter his fist connecting with the younger man's jaw. The reporter crashed into the cameraman causing them both to land in a tangle of arms and legs in the hallway.
Warrick and Greg caught Nick before he could land another punch.
Grissom stepped over them and then looked down at the reporter who was struggling to get to his feet.
"I hope you never know how it feels to have someone you care about disappear without leaving any evidence to work with."Grissom stated quietly as he looked down the hall to the main desk.
"Somebody get security to actually do their job and get this crap out of my lab! Now!"
Catherine watched worriedly as Grissom turned and stormed down the hallway leading to his office. A few moments later in the distance they heard a door slam shut.
*********
32 hours missing
(8 am)
Jack Malone walked through the now familiar hallways of CSI enroute to Grissom's office. He hated this part of the job but he felt the need to tell Grissom the latest news in person.
It was the least he could do.
Jack knocked on the open door and as Grissom glanced up Jack saw the flicker of hope in the older man's eyes.
From the expression on Malone's face Gil knew what he had to say wasn't good news. Now all he had to do was get up the courage to ask.
"Jack?"Grissom asked his voice dry.
Jack sighed. "Local police found a body in a park near Sara's apartment."
Grissom's throat closed up and his vision blurred. "I-is it Sara?"
Jack shook his head. "I'm sorry but the body was in too bad of a condition to know for sure. I need somebody that knows Sara to come and make an ID."
Grissom stood shakily. He rested his hands on the surface of the desk as if not sure where to move next. "I'll go."
Jack took a step into the room concerned as he recalled his earlier conversation with Catherine. "You don't have too. I can ask Catherine or Nick....."
"I'll do it!"Grissom nearly shouted as he walked around his desk.
"Okay."Malone replied softly.
Grissom paused in the doorway. "Just let me tell the others. I'll meet you in the parking lot."
Author: Cindy Ryan
catagory: angst, Xover
pairings: Jack/Sam, Grissom/Sara
Summary: After 'Play with fire' Sara vanishes, Grissom calls in a favor
Notes: See part one. Thanks for the feedback. :)
29 hours missing
(5 am)
Sam smiled gratefully as Jack pressed a mug of cappuccino into her left hand.
"Thanks."
"Anytime."Jack replied as he stood next to her both of them leaning against the far wall of the interrogation room.
Danny,Vivian and Martin were huddled around the table their conversation drifting back to them in snatches.
"I took the pain pills an hour ago."
Jack's gaze didn't move from the whiteboard. "I didn't say anything."
"But you were going to."
In his minds eye Jack could still see Sam laid out on the floor of that bookstore bleeding heavily from the gunshot to her leg. Her face white as a sheet.
"I just don't want you to push yourself too hard."Jack stated softly. "You don't have to prove anything to me or the others. If you need to go back to the hotel and rest just say so."
Sam smiled at his concern and reached out to gently touch his right shoulder. "I'm alright, Jack. I just want us to not lose this one. I don't want to have to tell these people that Sara's not coming home."
Jack sighed. "Neither do I. But with Danny and Viv coming up empty handed with the canvas it's not looking very good."
Sam met his gaze. "We've found people with much less to go on."
Jack smiled briefly. "I keep telling myself that."
"I'm going to check the police blotter."Sam stated as she moved toward her laptop. "Maybe we'll find something in the crime stats of Sara's neighborhood."
"Good idea."Jack acknowledged as he followed her toward the table."Martin, what did the final report say on Sidle's computer?"
********
30 hours missing
(6:30 am)
It was an exhausted emotionally drained group that gathered in the breakroom.
Catherine had called them there because she was worried about the team's mental state.
Especially Nick and Grissom.
They sat down around the small round table. A box of doughnuts was in the center but nobody moved to grab one. No one had an appetite.
Nick rested his elbows on the table's surface and rubbed his face with his hands struggling to stay awake. He was barely holding it together and he knew the others could see it but he didn't know what else to do.
Catherine cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention. "I know some of you may hate me for this but I went and talked to Covallo."
Grissom's head jerked up. His eyes red rimmed and weary. "About what?"
Catherine leaned her hands against the table. "About putting everyone on this team on emergency leave excluding Greg who's already on medical leave."
Despite his exhaustion Nick flew to his feet. "Leave? Catherine we don't need it. We need to be out there doing something for Sara not running around here processing crime scenes that we don't have the manpower for."
Catherine met his gaze. "Due to the circumstances Covallo approved the leave. At least until Sara is found. We're all exhausted. We won't be doing any good if we process the evidence wrong."
"You could've discussed this with us."Warrick said quietly.
"Would you have listened to me?"Catherine asked her voice strained as she looked pointedly at Grissom. "Any of you? I don't like to be idle any more than the rest of you but I know I can't continue to function like this. Sara wouldn't want us to run ourselves into the ground."
"Catherine's right."Grissom stated his voice barely above a whisper. "I want...."
Everyone looked at Grissom to see why he had trailed off then they saw the camera crew in the doorway. A male reporter in his late twenties with short red hair and green eyes came barreling toward them.
"How the hell did he get past security?"Nick yelled as everyone rose to their feet.
"How does it feel to have one of your own be a victim to a violent crime?"
Grissom walked toward the reporter his face a mask. "How does it feel? You want to know how it feels?"
The reporter nodded eagerly as his gaze landed on Grissom's name tag. "You're Grissom lead criminalist.....is it true....."
Before anyone could react Nick threw himself at the reporter his fist connecting with the younger man's jaw. The reporter crashed into the cameraman causing them both to land in a tangle of arms and legs in the hallway.
Warrick and Greg caught Nick before he could land another punch.
Grissom stepped over them and then looked down at the reporter who was struggling to get to his feet.
"I hope you never know how it feels to have someone you care about disappear without leaving any evidence to work with."Grissom stated quietly as he looked down the hall to the main desk.
"Somebody get security to actually do their job and get this crap out of my lab! Now!"
Catherine watched worriedly as Grissom turned and stormed down the hallway leading to his office. A few moments later in the distance they heard a door slam shut.
*********
32 hours missing
(8 am)
Jack Malone walked through the now familiar hallways of CSI enroute to Grissom's office. He hated this part of the job but he felt the need to tell Grissom the latest news in person.
It was the least he could do.
Jack knocked on the open door and as Grissom glanced up Jack saw the flicker of hope in the older man's eyes.
From the expression on Malone's face Gil knew what he had to say wasn't good news. Now all he had to do was get up the courage to ask.
"Jack?"Grissom asked his voice dry.
Jack sighed. "Local police found a body in a park near Sara's apartment."
Grissom's throat closed up and his vision blurred. "I-is it Sara?"
Jack shook his head. "I'm sorry but the body was in too bad of a condition to know for sure. I need somebody that knows Sara to come and make an ID."
Grissom stood shakily. He rested his hands on the surface of the desk as if not sure where to move next. "I'll go."
Jack took a step into the room concerned as he recalled his earlier conversation with Catherine. "You don't have too. I can ask Catherine or Nick....."
"I'll do it!"Grissom nearly shouted as he walked around his desk.
"Okay."Malone replied softly.
Grissom paused in the doorway. "Just let me tell the others. I'll meet you in the parking lot."